Office for Intellectual Freedom Archives | Page 5 of 6

Left to right: Susan Harris, Ross Ufberg, Jamie LaRue, Inci Sariz, and Peter Blackstock

“If People Don’t Read It Here, It Doesn’t Help Much”

By Carrie Smith | June 27, 2017

On Monday, June 26, the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF), the Association of American Publishers, and the Global Literature in Libraries Initiative brought together for the program “Banned Abroad: Stories of International Censorship” panelists who have worked as publishers, translators, editors, and researchers to discuss their experiences with works that have been censored … Continue reading “If People Don’t Read It Here, It Doesn’t Help Much” →

From left: Marguerite Avery, April Hathcock, and Jamie LaRue (speaking) at the American Library Association’s 2017 Annual Conference and Exhibition in Chicago on June 24, 2017. Photo: Rebecca Lomax/American Libraries

Intellectual Freedom and Open Access: Working Toward a Common Goal?

By Jennifer Putnam Davis | June 25, 2017

Marguerite Avery, senior acquisitions editor at Trinity University Press in San Antonio, Texas, spoke from a publisher’s point of view. Avery eagerly joined this conversation because, “framing intellectual freedom and open access is seldom discussed over intellectual property and open access,” she explains. Avery defines intellectual freedom as “being able to seek and receive all … Continue reading Intellectual Freedom and Open Access: Working Toward a Common Goal? →

Desirée Fairooz in a 2013 screenshot from a video for Arlington (Va.) Public Library's Columbia Pike branch.

Former Librarian Faces Jail Time for Laugh at Sessions’s Confirmation

By Timothy Inklebarger | May 9, 2017

The reason for her arrest: laughing during the Jan. 10 Senate confirmation hearing of now Attorney General Jeff Sessions. She was found guilty on May 3 of charges of disorderly and disruptive conduct, and obstructing and impeding passage on US Capitol grounds. “I was listening when Sen. (Richard) Shelby [R-Ala.] made the comment that he … Continue reading Former Librarian Faces Jail Time for Laugh at Sessions’s Confirmation →

Jelani Cobb speaks at the ACLU of Illinois luncheon, March 17, 2017.

Old Snake, New Skin

By George M. Eberhart | March 20, 2017

So when the ACLU of Illinois held its annual luncheon at the Hilton Chicago on March 17, FTRF and other staffers from the American Library Association (ALA) headquarters joined some 2,000 other like-minded individuals for its program on “Fighting for a More Perfect Union.” Although the topics addressed did not touch on libraries per se, … Continue reading Old Snake, New Skin →

Champions of Children’s Privacy

By Megan Cottrell | May 2, 2016

But in one sense, it’s already happening. In December 2015, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), a nonprofit digital technology rights group, filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission against Google for Education, alleging that the company is surreptitiously collecting data about students as they use their school-owned Chromebooks and education apps—data that they’re using … Continue reading Champions of Children’s Privacy →

James LaRue is the new director of ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom.

11 Questions with James LaRue

January 7, 2016

Even though his position began January 4 and he left for the ALA Midwinter Meeting soon after, LaRue was kind enough to answer a series of questions to help introduce himself to ALA members. Coffee, tea, other? Coffee, but tea is acceptable. And as writer Joseph Campbell put it, “There is a time for Buddhist … Continue reading 11 Questions with James LaRue →

More Important Than Ever

By Meredith Farkas | October 30, 2015

We know that intellectual freedom is a core value of our profession, but it’s easy to become complacent and lose sight of the magnitude of our role in protecting patron privacy. This may stem from the fact that there is now so much that is outside of our control, but that makes our role as … Continue reading More Important Than Ever →

Columbia College Banned Books Week Read-Out

By Steve Zalusky | October 2, 2015

During events on September 29 and 30 and October 1, students, library staff, and other participants took turns reading aloud from banned books, including James Joyce’s Ulysses, Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, and Sherman Alexie’s The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. A library cart stacked with books was wrapped in yellow tape bearing the … Continue reading Columbia College Banned Books Week Read-Out →

Banned Books Week Roundup 2015

By George M. Eberhart | September 29, 2015

Kristin Pekoll, assistant director of the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom, says that librarians and teachers often feel frustrated by these efforts to restrict the scope of reading. “More and more, they are reaching out to our office for support because they’re feeling silenced by their administrations,” she says. “While the fear of … Continue reading Banned Books Week Roundup 2015 →

Challenges by Initiator, 2014: Who challenges books?

Don’t Take the Freedom to Read for Granted

September 22, 2015

Banned Books Week, September 27–October 3, celebrates the idea that the freedom to read and access ideas can transform lives, but when books are banned, readers are blocked from seeing all viewpoints and perspectives. Because so many books that include racial issues and diverse characters are challenged, it is particularly important that we create public … Continue reading Don’t Take the Freedom to Read for Granted →

Intellectual Freedom: A Core Tenet

By Karen Muller | September 11, 2014

The essays in the 2014 edition of Banned Books: Challenging our Freedom to Read, by Robert P. Doyle, outline how case law has extended the protection of the freedoms of speech and press to include freedom of expression of ideas and information. This background reading informs use of the “First Amendment Action Guide,” an advocacy … Continue reading Intellectual Freedom: A Core Tenet →

Navigating the News

By Deniz Koray | December 10, 2013

To help high school students differentiate between fact and fiction in today’s increasingly chaotic news—in which opinion-based cable news programs, blogs, and social media sites have proliferated—the American Library Association (ALA), in partnership with local library branches and a nonprofit media literacy organization, created News Know-How, a program that helps young adults become better, more … Continue reading Navigating the News →

Latest Library Links

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Oliver Moody writes: “In the €100 million Oodi library, which looms over central Helsinki like a cruise ship from the future, robots called Tatu, Patu, and Veera trundle back and forth between the shelves and the reading rooms. Against this backdrop, foreign visitors might be surprised to see how many children and teenagers are engaged in an almost unsettlingly archaic activity: reading and borrowing books. In the age of TikTok, Netflix, and Candy Crush, it is not just Finland’s public libraries that are booming, but also demand for their physical paperbacks and hardbacks.”

The Times (London), June 20
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Amit Agarwal writes: “Angus owns a beautiful apartment near the university campus. With the new semester around the corner, he wants to create brochures to attract students as tenants. But here’s the challenge: the university has students from all over the world who speak different languages. Angus needs to create brochures that speak to everyone—from students from Japan to those from France, and everywhere in between. While he could create PDF brochures in multiple languages manually, that process would be both time-consuming and error-prone. This guide explains how you can automate it all.”

Digital Inspiration, June 18
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Emma Roth writes: “A federal judge has sided with Anthropic in an artificial intelligence (AI) copyright case, ruling that training its AI models on legally purchased books without authors’ permission is fair use. It’s a first-of-its-kind ruling in favor of the AI industry, but it’s importantly limited to physical books Anthropic purchased and digitized. Judge William Alsup of the Northern District of California also said in his decision that the company must face a separate trial for pirating books from the internet, and did not address whether AI model outputs infringe copyrights, which is at issue in related cases.”

The Verge, June 24
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Kimberli Buckley writes: “The modern library is a unique ecosystem. It’s rich with stories, resources, and people of all ages. Today’s library staff might include members of at least five different generations—all working under one roof. With such a broad mix of perspectives, experiences, and communication styles, it’s no surprise that misunderstandings might happen, but with mindful communication it doesn’t have to. Mindful communication offers us a way to pause, listen, and connect more intentionally so that no matter your generation or role, you feel seen, heard, valued, and understood.”

Compassionate Librarian, June 22
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Ann Baillie writes: “Your library going through a building renovation can lead to many different, and often conflicting emotions. Building renovations are complicated, and depending on the size and scope of the work, you may need to close to the public for a while. You want to make sure you maintain a positive relationship with patrons while your physical building is closed. But how can you?”

ALSC Blog, June 18
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Nathan Sonnenschein writes: “During my first year as an undergraduate, my community college’s library handed out folders bearing a catchphrase: ‘Faster than Google. Better than Wikipedia. Your college library.’ This gave me the impression that academic libraries saw Wikipedia as a usurper on their terrain. In the decade since, I have been delighted to see many library professionals develop more nuanced approaches to Wikipedia. Still, the belief that Wikipedia has no place in research or scholarship persists. There are real issues, but they do not mean Wikipedia has no valid place in the information ecosystem.”

ACRLog, June 23
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Investing in Prison Libraries: A Cost-Effective Path to Safer Communities and Second Chances, an ALA Policy Perspectives report released July 23, explores the essential role of prison libraries in lowering recidivism by better preparing incarcerated people for their release. According to the report, full funding of prison libraries leads to safer and healthier communities and reduced prison costs. Co-authors Erin Boyington, Amelia Bryne, and Emily Durkin will discuss their findings at ALA’s Annual Conference in Philadelphia in “The Work of Prison Libraries and Why Further Investment is Needed” on Saturday, June 28, at 9 a.m.

ALA Public Policy and Advocacy Office, June 23

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